Did Bo Cantrell Take a Dive Against Kimbo Slice?

During Saturday’s “EliteXC: Renegade” event, Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson posted a questionable 19-second victory over MMA veteran Bo Cantrell. However, cries that Slice’s opponent took a dive appear unfounded, especially in light of some post-fight findings.

The Slice-Cantrell fight, which aired on Showtime before a Nick Diaz-KJ Noons main event, was supposed to be Slice’s coming-out party. The famed Internet brawler made his unofficial MMA debut in June with a first-round submission of aging boxer Ray Mercer.

Cantrell, though, was supposed to represent a real MMA fighter — a veteran of 20 fights that were accumulated during a four-year career. Granted, Cantrell owned a mere .500 record (with a four-fight losing streak), but in terms of MMA, he was a major step up from the 46-year-old Mercer.

While the Bas Rutten-trained Slice won in convincing fashion on Saturday, MMA fans learned little about the 33-year-old heavyweight’s abilities. After a right shot to Cantrell’s gut and a forearm to his head, Slice was pulled off the fighter and declared the winner via TKO.

The elbow appeared to strike only partially, but it was enough to send Cantrell to the canvas, where he immediately tapped out. The crowd booed mightily as the 30-year-old quickly returned to his feet.
Was it a dive? Was the fix in?
It’s doubtful.

More likely, Cantrell was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the situation. The Gladiator Challenge and King of the Cage vet probably never competed on such a big stage — especially in front of a live TV audience.
“I am not sure what happened, but just before the fight, I started feeling weird,” Cantrell said after the fight. “I just wasn’t myself in there. I felt a shell of myself.“

Our friend Steve Sievert of the Houston Chronicle shed some additional light on the situation.

As he wrote: “While the two shots from Slice did some damage, it was clear that Cantrell, who reportedly threw up in his dressing room before the bout, would rather have been elsewhere. Shaw revealed after the fight that EliteXC received anonymous phone calls on both Friday and Saturday calling into question Cantrell’s health and whether he was fit to fight. Ultimately, he was cleared by doctors to step into the cage.“

Whether he was actually sick doesn’t matter; if Cantrell thought something might be wrong, it was probably enough to let the doubts creep in.

Throw in a hostile crowd, Slice’s intimidating looks and brutal reputation, and the shattered confidence that comes from four consecutive first-round losses (with an average fight length of just 30 seconds), and Cantrell’s performance and quick tap-out can be understood. Not excused, but at least understood.

As for Slice, with a recently signed long-term deal with EliteXC, he’ll be on the search for a new opponent. He’ll just need to find one that presents a challenge.

“I am happy for Kimbo, but he needs an opponent that is going to push him a little,” said Rutten, who’s trained Slice throughout the year. “I think he can handle it, but I want to see how he does when he has to face some adversity and go a full round or two.

“Really, Kimbo got nothing out of this fight tonight — except for a nice payday.“

Source: http://mmajunkie.com/